of course, that was not possible. south africa because of their fantastic stadiums and infrastructure were able to step in and very happily do a good job posting this tournament. to many fans had of this final, they did say they thought both tenants helps to bring the country together again. delighted improving the world wrong. so many people doubted whether or not africa could host a world cup. south africa has shown that given the chance they could do just as good a job as anyone else. >> five people have been killed

on a british own cruise ship in spain. this occurred in the canary islands read before the ship was supposed to set sail. it turned deadly. crewmembers were performing a mock rescue when the cable to the left but they were in a snap, sending the craft plummeting into the ocean. rescue personnel were called to the court after reports several people had gone overboard. the cruise company issued the rest of the statement-the statement, saying they are aware of an incident involving the crew on board in the canary islands. we're working closely with the rest of the ship owners and managers to determine exactly what happened and provide assistance by those effected. nearly 1500 passengers were on board the ship at the time. it had been due to set to portugal on sunday. the victims were all

crewmembers. three others suffered not life threatening injuries. >> syrian rebels have carried out assaults throughout the country. the northeast province, they secured a major cash of state artillery and ammunition. four soldiers were killed in a lot of and more than 20 wounded in a bombing in a military building. they say they're willing to hold talks with representatives in rebel-held areas. he said he wants to find a way for us ought to leave power with minimal bloodshed. he is due to meet the arab league secretary-general on monday. let's speak to the executive director of the washington- based cyrian center for political and strategic studies. also a former member of the syrian national council, joining us live from washington.

welcome to the program. what your thoughts about the potential for dialogue? >> it is clear that the a side regime has rejected this offer from them because he put to conditions. one, free all political prisoners. we have no sign the aside regime has read any of them. he has dropped this offer again. he said that now we will go without initiatives since the regime is closing all the doors. >> d do you think president asst --- assad's view is he can crush the revolution? >> nobody believes the machine can crush the revolution. >> do you think he believes

that? >> i think he is putting the security solution as top a party for him and not care about how much the country has been destroyed. he does not care about how many people are being displaced or been killed. but i think that this is a more important than that he still gets the backing from russia and iran to believe he will still be able to survive and be able to crush the revolution. the key issue right now is that is still protected by the international community. the international community just had a statement rather than taking action. we see the not put red lines for assad, or how many victims killed or what type of weapons he has been using. he started using not only the

air force every day against the civilians, but the missiles. >> it seems we do not get a change in stance from russia and china on this. where is the dialogue going to come from? >> it is clear that there is no change from russia and china. i do not think we need to risk more lives. talking to the russians, they will not change their stance. they are still backing and supplying the assad regime with ammunition. yesterday, in my talks to some of the activists, the rebels, the fighters on the ground, they informed me that there is a new type of tool coming and being used by the army. they have never seen it before. it is clear that these kinds of

tools like coming from russia, and we have many reports that the russians are still supplying. this is why we do not need to waste more time talking to the russians, or waiting for the security council. the syrian people are taking their own wars on their own shoulders. >> good to get your perspective on this. thanks very much. a british food processing firm has denied any illegal or immoral activities after being accused of moving profits out of zambia to reduce their tax bill. they are called zambia sugar. >> a highly successful business employing thousands of people, but zambia sugar, a subsidiary of associated british foods, stands accused of avoiding paying millions of dollars to the zambian government. this comes from a new report by a u.k. charity.

they say that between 2007 and 2012, zambia sugar made pre-tax profits of $123 million. over the period, the firm is claimed to have avoided paying $17 million in corporation tax. that is enough to pay for the school and 40,000 children every year. the parent company, based in london, has strongly denied doing anything illegal or immoral, and distressing how it helped zambia's economy. zambia sugar says between 2008 and 2012 capital allowances-they are used by governments around the world and nothing to do with tax avoidance. they invested around $240 million in zambian operations, creating jobs for 5000 people. action aid says that is not the whole story. they sent 1/3 of their pre-tax profits to tax havens, including a island in the netherlands.

>> we think that is not run. 40 percent of zambian children are malnourished. the money the zambian government is not getting from zambia sugar means that is happening much harder. >> some experts say things will only change in developing countries get serious about taxes in general. >> not just global corporations, but all levels of society, from the prime minister and the president down. there are countries where large portions are not paying any tax. if you have a situation like that is difficult to expect a corporation, operating in that country, to pay taxes were other people are not. >> column on leaders of the g- eight countries to strengthen international tax rolls so developing countries can claim more taxes from multinational firms. it could be years before people

in countries a zambia start to notice any change. of jazeera, london. affairsican political analyst says companies are taking advantage of tax loopholes. >> tax avoidance is a global issue. across africa as well. basically every--- according to statistics, $160 billion is impoverished from -- second from impoverished cos. these companies move money around from one place to another to take a vantage of the loopholes. if you eliminated the loopholes there would not be anywhere to take the money. >> tipping the scale toward a future. we tell you why futures and the united states have climbed. speaking to a coca farmer in bolivia about how it plans

demonized in the west is bringing the benefits. >> and the richardson in south africa. find out if nigeria could win their third africa cup title against burkina faso. >> hello. we have some snow flurries in the forecast for japan and the korean peninsula over the next couple days. it does not look too bad in north asia. a little bit of clouds rolling in across the sea of japan. we will see some snow a possibility across the northern part of honshu into hokkaido. it is crisp and dry there for john and--- pyongyang. china does not look too bad.

long guitar, top temperature of -20 degrees. some snow making see its way back to the korean peninsula. for much of japan, it looks dry. central parts of china, looking at the top temperature in shanghai of eight celsius. a bit of rain here, but you could see some rain in the course of monday and tuesday. not bad in hong kong, with a top amateur of 25 celsius. some showers will make their way to the philippines. back into sri lanka over the next day or two, showers, but most of india is sunny. >> hello. top stories on al jazeera.

rebels in mali have launched a surprise attack. it is the first time rebels have succeeded in entering. french troops recaptured it in late january. los angeles police are offering $1 million for the capture of christopher donner, the officer turned murder suspect who is accused of killing three people. nigeria is celebrating after they beat burkina faso in the african cup final. iran ' s president has given his final address to the nation ahead of elections in june. a bleak warning of more political infighting in tehran. he also reports scorn on direct talks of the nuclear program. >> it has been a tough few weeks for the president. he had a lot to say on the anniversary of iran's islamic

revolution. it was perhaps the most important address to the nation as president. >> the government is doing its business, but everybody should help. we need more unity. the government should not be under pressure from inside and outside. >> that pressure israel. the economy is not improving, while the gap is widening between-that pressure is a real. of the economy is not improving, while the gap is widening. he accused a second member of his inner circle. although the president ' s main message was unity, he alluded to difficulties to come. >> about regional issues and domestic issues, i should say something. but because i do not want to, i will postpone it for another time.

>> there is the question of nuclear talks. the next round is 2 weeks away. the president, like the supreme leader, is not backing down. >> as the supreme leader said, you cannot put a gun to a nation and expected to hold negotiations. negotiations are for what? they are to resolve misunderstandings. put down the gun, then i myself will talk to you. >> celebrating the revolution is not about the president. it is that this man, ayatollah khamenei, and the fight for a government of its choosing. the revolution gave millions of iranians the right to vote for parliament and president. that is something i iranians never forget, even now more than three decades after ayatollah khamenei return from exile to change iran and the world. al jazeera, tehran. >> the united states is

experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of obese people over the last two decades. health officials called an epidemic. in america 1/3 of people over the age of 20 are considered obese, and one in five children and teenagers also fall into this category. almost 50 percent of african- americans are obese. close to 40 percent of hispanics and nearly 35 percent of whites. among asian americans, that drops to 11%. studies show poor people are more likely to be obese, and the latest in a series on the obesity epidemic, more on the progress being made to fight obesity in one of america ' s fastest cities. >>--- fattest cities. >> new orleans, whose rich cuisine draws tourists from around the globe, but its own residents eating choices get much of the blame for the city possibly as high levels of obesity. >> we have some of the biggest

people in the world. it has become normalized. that is the real crisis. we think it is ok. >> but not for the health and education policymakers trying to change bad habits from the ground up. >> is kind of coming up out -- from this broccoli, little yellow flowers will grow. >> kids from low income families who really have access to fresh food learn about the nutritional value of the crops they grow themselves. this is one of dozens of local programs around the nation trying to reverse the national epidemic of obesity. >> my favorite part of garden is when we get to learn about food and health and crops that make you strong and big and tall. >> by teaching kids with their food comes from, you were giving them information about the choices that they make. maybe the next and what a snack,

they reach for an apple. >> school lunch menus have also been reformed to steer children toward better food options. a new nutrition law offers schools cash incentives to limit calories and encourage more fresh produce in free or low-cost meals. >> this is the single biggest that any city has ever taken to curb obesity. >> nyc has adopted a law limiting the size of sugary soda as in restaurants, a rare defeat for the food industry which in several other cities spend heavily last year to defeat proposals to tax-calorie sodas. boosting exercise habits and -- another challenge in the battle against obesity. only a handful of states require a minimum physical education regimen. fewer states ask for at least 20 minutes of daily recess. but in her personal anti obesity initiative, michelle obama has

let her charisma and influence to promote physical exercise and improve nutrition. >> the first african american first lady. a lot of our young girls gravitate toward her because of that. senior tuesday upheld the life style is something they can look up to. >> it promises no quick or easy victories, but by planting the risks of new lifestyle habits at an early age places like new orleans pope to tip the scales toward a slimmer future. tom ackerman, al jazeera, new owens. >> more on this now. dr. williams is a medical doctor at harbor hospital and the chief of staff of neurology at columbia university. joining us now from new york city. doctor, you run an initiative called the hip-hop health initiative. tell us more about that. >> absolutely. thanks for having me on the show. as you discussed in your segment, obesity interventions

really need to be more, we need to be extremely creative. what we have done is realizing that the way in which people behave is reflected in the way in which they resist messages. we decided we needed to really take a proactive and creative approach to really engage and children around the obesity message and helping them facilitate behavior through that message. so what could be better to engage children in urban communities african-american communities, and hip-hop music? hip-hop has significant academic educational properties. to borrow the words of mark and blackrock, it is actually sticky -- mal, glads well. having the use of repetition and rhyme, and really contagious

this is the property of the message. we think hip-hop is a very effective way -- >> is encouraging a real change is one thing. what if they cannot access the foods they need? you worked in harlem. talk of it being a few desert. >> absolutely. there is no magic bullet for obesity. it is a very complex disease and requires multi-level interventions. it requires environmental interventions. changes in the food desert, increasing the availability of help the options in gross restores, it requires changes in the access of physical activity. recreational places for children to play and run around in parks. it also requires educational interventions, such as the ones we are delivering in the

schools. we can address the demand side. you also have to address the supply side. really educating children around healthy options, healthier behaviors, and encouraging them to actually engage in healthy behaviors without that component, whatever environmental changes that we make, children will still seek out those suites and fatty foods whose taste they are more predisposed to. we really do need a multi- faceted, multi-pronged approach. while we are doing in schools as we are laying the seeds on the demand side to habit as a part of the overall peace that needs to go into the big puzzle called obesity. >> we wish you well in your efforts. thanks a lot. it is mardi gras in new orleans, but the celebrations at the conable were disrupted on saturday by gunfire. four people were shot.

one man is in critical condition, and police think it started with an argument with people partying. no suspect has been found. handed over ave 11 detainees to the government. they accuse the suspects of murder, kidnapping, and a start-- extortion. farmers have taken up arms. here's the story now. >> the vigilante group on patrol in the mountains. criminal gangs have made this mountainous state one of the country's as violent areas. the men in these groups, mostly farmers, city had little choice but to take up arms. >> there were a lot of murders of young girls, women and children. we got sick of it. criminals and police became one and the same, and we could not report crimes because we were afraid. >> local police to report to work, the people now report

crimes to citizen groups instead and they make their arrest. this man is a police officer. he is accused of being part of the kidnapping ring and extorting local businesses. he denies any crime. >> taking on powers did not have the right to and arresting people just because they had a fight for something. i think that is wrong. if identify with someone, that person should have to make a formal complaint to the authorities and that the judges decide. >> vigilantes' are holding dozens of prisoners across the region in makeshift jails. they held trials in their own court and sentenced to do community service and what it called re-education programs. mexico's humans rights commission has expressed concern over the treatment of detainees but says they have drawn no conclusions. although they have no legal authority, the army and federal police tolerate their patrols. some wear hoods to protect their identity, but other city are not afraid. >> i want my grandchildren to

grow up and be free. state to go wherever they want. like people used to be able to. >> federal officials here are concerned this growing movement of vigilantes' is a direct threat to government authority. still, they are negotiating rather than challenging them directly. he was the center of a leftist on rebellion against the federal government in the 1970's. vigilante leaders we spoke to express calls not so different and the rebel commanders of the past. >> what we want is sustainable development for all. the father of all crime is poverty. >> these villages have been neglected for centuries. dislodging poverty from these rugged mountains could be an even bigger challenge in pushing at the gangs. al jazeera, mexico city. >> workers in peru have begun to clear debris from the floods. they went through large parts of

the city and other areas in the south. six people died and thousands have been left homeless after landslides buried them. libya has formally been joined the u.n. treaty on narcotic drugs. they persuaded the right to chu coca leaves as a traditional remedy. they were concerned as the leaves are also used to make cocaine. this was good news for farmers. this is her story in her own news. >> my name is amelia, and i have been a coca farmer since i was a child. i have seven brothers, and my mother used to bring me along to help them with the harvest. now we wake up every morning and prepare our lunch. then we come here to harvest. we do not get home until 7:00 or 8:00 at night. coca leaves allow us to send our children to school. we want to build something in our community.

we use the money from the harvest. we cannot grow oranges or anything else because this land is only good for coca. we live and feed our families and to this plan. we have to struggle to the right to keep farming coca because if the government changes are land could slowly disappear. they should not say that coca is only for drugs. we also use it for medicine, for bread, and cookies. we take care of coca like it is one of our children, and we never wanted to disappear. >> presidential candidates will face off in -- on monday for the first debate. it is to be broadcast live on all the major tv and radio networks. our east africa correspondent looks at what is involved. >> the standards are checking the microphones -- everything is in place for the most eagerly

anticipated event of this election campaign. never before have rival candidate's face one another in a form. on monday, they will face direct questions sent in by the public. >> we have had thousands of e- mail's, social media discussions, and people are sharing their views. security issues, health, education. i think this is what is important, moving away from the usual discussions a rat ethnic issues. -- around ethnic issues. this is his third run for the presidency. he expected the prime minister's job in the last election. his main rival -- both of them believe they could take the election in the first round. there are other candidates like former militant, also rushing in. kenyans are expected to watch the debate by the millions.

but in nairobi, most thought it might not make much difference. >> these guys know they're manifestoes, what ever. they are more or less the same. matter of who to vote for. >> i am not one of them. but no matter how it goes, people are going to be with their families. >> they suggest the most critical group is swing voters to make a tender sense out of the electorate. the minor candidates will be given equal billing with the main candidates. a lot of analysts believe it will be able to gain additional support. that makes a second round even more likely. this is the first-ever presidential debate here -- nobody's quite sure what effect it might have. al jazeera, nairobi.

>> a spanish worker says he will accept a prestigious israeli literary award against the wishes of palestinians. he denies he would be accepting israel's policies by accepting the jerusalem prize. it is given to others to tackle scenes of human freedom. still ahead, the snowy london night for the u.k. film awards. we tell you who won big. and in sports, a 19-year wait for african football ' s biggest prize.

> >> the british academy of film

and television arts awards have wrapped up. the ceremony in london is a great indicator for the upcoming oscars. they have picked the same best film for the past four years. this year it went to the tom " argo." >> the bafta goes to daniel day- lewis. >> when it came, it was hardly a surprise. >> he does not want me leaving big muddy footprints all over town. >> his portrait of abraham lincoln has been called by some of the performance of his career. in a ceremony where there were no guaranteed winds, this was the only one where most critics

united in their belief he would take best actor. at 10 nominations, this was the only award for the thumb. director steven spielberg was not even nominated. the big stars worked the red carpet as rain turned to snow. excitement remained. described by some as the most open -- there are not one or two movies that dominate the awards. the competition is really intense. for some films, they are controversial. ty," --ero dark thirsty kathryn bigelow was hoping for best director. instead, that went to- -- "

argo," about the hostage crisis in iran. in the end, the most popular movie of the night was "les miserables," earning four awards, including best supporting actress and hathaway. the musical tale translated happiness on the stage. and, for the first time in a long time, there was no clear winner taking the majority of the awards. there was pretty much something for everybody. al jazeera, london. >> next up, the oscars. >> nigeria has won the african cup of nations for the third time. they beat burkina faso in the final at the national city and in johannesburg.

nigeria were the overwhelming favorite coming into the game, and they lived up to their billing. he scored the only goal of the match -- they could have and perhaps would have extended their lead, but that was how it stayed. it was still the best ever --rformance for burkina alessa burkina faso. >> a single goal and now for nigeria to beat burkina basso and claim the third african cup of nations title, their first in almost 20 years. the only goal of the game was called by a player who has made a habit of scoring crucial roles in the tournament. against the ivory coast in the quarterfinals and tonight -- the country will never forget. he sums up what the nigerian team is all about. young players, often based in algeria at the expense of better

known players in nigerian football. there is still unity and discipline in this team. he has just become the second man to win this tournament as both a player and coach. >> we are very happy for winning the game. 2013 is our year. nigeria has made us proud. for so long we are waiting for this trophy. >> south africa once again saw their team underperform on the pitch, but their abilities off of it as a coat -- hosts cannot be questioned. this night belongs to nigeria. they will go to brazil later and represent their continent at the confederation cup. >> it was the issue of match fixing that dominated his agenda. a week after a investigation

revealed that matches may have been fixed, he and knowledge to problem needed to be dealt with. >> it is a danger. a permanent danger in our game. if you can fix a match or manipulate a max -- a match. some of the attractiveness, the fascination of the game, is to do not know the issue. i always say that a game is like a classical greek tragedy. unity of time, unity of action, but you do not know the issue. in the theater you know the issue. when that is put into question, then it is wrong. >> he marked the signing of his new barcelona contract with a 6- 1 victory. 35 league goals already. one short of 300.

he had six different scorers in the match. the substitute here -- and then netted their sixth. they have won 20 of 23 matches this season and have a 12-point lead. second place aflac co -- athletico missed their chance. they did grab a consolation lake. sociedad have lost just one game in their last three. the other match of the day -- an impressive run underneath the new coach. scoring two goals in the second half.

espanol is in 13th place. oslo has lost just one in 10 matches. -- barcelona has lost this one in 10 matches. they went into the game unbeaten in the last four, and scored first, putting them 1-0 up. but they equalized in the penalty spot with five minutes ago. they picked up their first win in five games. they beat them 3-1. catania drew 0-0 at atlanta. manchester united have opened up a 12-point gap the in themselves and the nearest rivals. they beat everton on sunday.

their scoring every single season of the premier league. they got the second before the break. the results give united a huge boost. everton dropped 2/6 after that loss. >> we kept going, but it was not enough in yet. -- in the end. they were better than us today. we got off to a bad start. i thought we had quite good control in the first half after the goal, that -- at times he might get them off side, but that was not the case. >> richard sterling cruised to a comfortable win at the open.

going into the final play, he shot a round of eight under par to grab his first european tour win since 2008. that is your support for now. >> more at the top of the hour, but i will leave you with some extraordinary pictures and the united states. >> is happening right outside. >> that is a tornado, or twister as they call it. people in mississippi are wondering how nobody was killed. extraordinary -- it had the power to send cars flying. power to send cars flying.